Dover Athletic will host former Premier League champions Leicester City in the FA Cup second round on the weekend starting 4 December, after drawing the side in a pairing described by the chairman as a one-off in every 10 years.
Dover manager Jake Leberl called the matchup an unbelievable draw that rewards everyone who has stuck with the team through difficult years.
I’m so pleased for everyone – the chairman who’s been here so many years pumping money in, the new investors, and the fans who’ve had it hard for quite a few years,
Leberl told aol.com.
For Dover chairman Jim Parmenter, matches of this magnitude happen only once every decade. Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, Parmenter noted that the fixture serves as a reward for volunteers and hard-working staff who weathered tough times, the downs, the Covid situation, points deductions, and fines.
Second-round winners in the competition receive £79,500 in prize money, while losing sides take home £21,200. Parmenter hopes the financial injection will provide a platform to move the club forward.
Leberl acknowledged the immense sporting challenge ahead, comparing it to Dover’s 2015 FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace, which ended in a 4-0 defeat. Football-wise it is an incredibly difficult game, but it’s a game for the fans and for the town and we’ll just embrace it and do the best we can,
he said, according to aol.com.
Leicester City lifted the FA Cup trophy in 2021, creating a stark contrast in pedigree between the two clubs. Yet Dover supporters remain undeterred by the gap in the football pyramid.
Fellow supporter Jamie Skeggs called it a dream tie, pointing out that visiting professionals will face a unique test on a non-league pitch.
They may be ex-Premier League champions but they’re coming to Crabble on a non-league pitch, they’re not going to like it, so we’ll see what happens,
Skeggs said.
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